Susana Schwartz
Microsoft, Google DeepMind, OpenAI back Anthropic in lawsuit against Pentagon
As RCRTech reported last week, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had issued an ultimatum to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei about allowing the military unfettered access to Claude. When Amodei refused to bend on the issues of Claude’s use for autonomous weapons or for surveillance on American citizens, the Dept. of War and Trump administration blacklisted Anthropic as a “supply chain risk.” This week, Amodei filed two lawsuits against the Pentagon and Trump administration, alleging the designation is unlawful, retaliatory, and violates the company’s 1st and 5th amendment rights for free speech and due process, as well as the Administrative Procedure Act. Joining in the fight against Anthropic’s “blacklist” designation is Microsoft, which filed an amicus brief asking for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to block the Department of Defense from designating the company as a “supply chain risk.” In addition, a group of 37 researchers and engineers from OpenAI and Google DeepMind filed an amicus brief earlier in the week to support Anthropic. As stated by Google DeepMind chief scientist Jeff Dean, the overall sentiment is that punishing companies for safety limits will “chill open deliberation” in the field. Microsoft and Google DeepMind have financial ties to Anthropic, but OpenAI does not have direct ties, except on the periphery through a complex web of shared VCs and investment firms. The court has fast-tracked the hearing for the temporary restraining order, with a decision expected promptly. RCRTech will continue to report on this story.
Susana Schwartz
Technology Editor
RCRTech
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